Once alone Kakashi looked at Sakura and grinned and said. "Nice rescue." As he took a moment to lift his arms and pull his mask back up into place.

Under normal circumstances Sakura might have smiled and replied, Anything to save your ass sensei. But obviously something was up. She still had that anxious look to her as she went over to the small locker across from his bed and started pulling out random things before it dawned on Kakashi that maybe Sakura hadn't been pulling Tsunade's leg just now about Jiriaya being back in the village.

She pulled out his pants and mysteriously produced a clean, whole shirt for him to wear and handed them to him. "So they're really back in the village then?" Kakashi asked past the sudden lump in his throat, threatening to choke him.

Sakura looked at him and said in an eeirily calm tone. "I look at this one of two ways sensei. One, they are back and something must have happened to keep them away for so long. And two, They aren't back and you can simply get out of bed and irk Tsunade-sama some more."

Kakashi thought about it for a second and picked up the shirt and muttered. "I like that. It's very logical."

"And you like upsetting Tsunade."

"I live to upset Tsunade." The Copy nin murmured as he pulled the shirt over his head with some difficulty despite the sore and aching muscles in his chest, back, shoulders, and arms. He tugged the hem down almost to his waist then picked up his pants and subtly tried to move his toes and legs under the covers then when they wouldn't move he looked back at Sakura across the room where she was standing with her arms crossed over her chest, a look of supressed amusement on her face.

"Oh this is just cruel Sakura." He said in a peeved tone. Sakura's lips twitched a little bit.

"How so?" She asked in amusement, trying hard not to laugh at her former sensei for his little perdicament.

Kakashi gave her a dark look and did this strange, little hand thing to indicate to his legs as if to say. I've got the pants, but my legs are refusing to work so what the hell do I do? Sakura laughed for a second or so longer then walked over and took the pants from him and pulled the covers back away from his legs. Underneath he was wearing a pair of grey sweat pants.

"I guess someone thought that you would feel more comfortable in sweats, eh sensei." Kakashi made a strained sound. Fucking Gai- He thought as Sakura took his pants from him and told him to take off the sweats.

Taking them off was the easy part and required little effort from the Copy nin. However it took all he had not to blush about the fact that he was cammando under the sweats and Sakura was sort of gaping at him before he got irritated and snapped his fingers in front of her face to snap her out of it as he growled, "Dammit Sakura help me get the damn things on. Tsaunde's getting away."

"Oh, right. Sorry sensei."

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The Anbu that Tsunade sent out to look for Jiriaya didn't have to go far for once. And neither did she since the man was almost to the front door when the whole group came running out of the building and stopped cold when they saw Gai standing there with the Toad Sage next to him. Tsunade blunk up at Jiriaya, noting the lines of fatigue and stress on his face as he dropped his bag and looked her over before quietly saying. "Hey honey. I'm finally home."

Ignoring the fact that her former teammate had called her 'honey' like he used too when they had been younger, Tsunade pushed a couple of the Anbu out of her way and ran up to him and hugged him. All the fear and anxiety that she had felt for the past five years since he'd last left the village lessened when she felt his arms close around her as he hugged her back.

"You're okay."

"Yeah. More or less."

"Is Naru-"

"She's...alive if that's what your wanting to know."

"What took you so long? I was worried." Tsunade demanded as she pulled back a little bit and glared up at her friend. Jiriaya gave her a sad look.

"I know. I'm sorry. I should have kept contact more but I couldn't because I was hiding Naru." Tsunade smacked him on the arm. Once. Twice, then a third time and growled at him.

"What the hell were you doing to make you go into hiding? What did you do to my ganki?" Jiriaya got a pained look on his face and looked away for a second, unsure of what to say to her right then.

"I'll tell you here in a while, but right now I need a favor from you."

Tsunade's eyes went wide and she started to panic. "Oh my god it's Naru- It's my ganki- You got her killed didn't you?"

Jiriaya gave her a sour look and tapped her on the end of her nose with an index finger to reprimand her for her silly thoughts, especially when he'd just told her that Naru was alive not even two seconds ago. Though he supposed that her fear and worry was a mite more warrented than he was letting on. "We've been over this. Naru is alive...she's somewhere in the village hiding out, now stop freaking out. It isn't good for your health." Tsunade got a grip on herself and waited as she rasped.

"Okay, okay, sorry. What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to gather the rookie nine. They're all Chnin and Jounin now right?" Tsunade frowned, not understanding why Jiriaya would ask her to gather the rookies.

"I need you to gather them so that I can fill all of you in on why it took us so long to come back. I also need to tell all of you some things about the Akutsuki." Tsunade's eyes widened again and she put one hand over her heart and got a strained look on her face.

"You mean to tell them about the nine tailed fox." It wasn't a question. She could see his intent when he looked at her. A brief flicker of something she couldn't quite pin down flickered in his eyes. He only got that look when he was talking to her about important matters like this. But she wasn't sure if she wanted the kids to hear about the nine tails and how it was linked to Naru.

God, many of those kids had had family killed by the demon fox. What if they somehow blamed Naru for the death of their kin? What if they tried to hurt her?

"It's time that they knew and are made to understand how important it is to keep Naru alive and well." Jiriaya said somberly. The doors to the hospital opened up and both Sanin turned their heads to see Kakashi being wheeled out of the hospital in a wheelchair being pushed by Sakura.

"Do as the man asks Tsunade." Kakashi said as Sakura stopped his chair several feet from the woman. His Kage looked none too pleased to see him up and out of bed, but he really didn't care.

Naru was his former student and he had every damn right to be there when Jiriaya did whatever he was going to do. Besides, he wanted to hear about how much his precious student had grown.

After being taught by a man of Jiriaya's caliber, the copy nin would bet that Naru was an amazing nin now. Perhaps more so than Kakashi himself.

Tsunade looked at the copy nin like she'd like to rip his head off but reluctantly agreed. But only on her terms. Jiriaya agreed to her terms, if only to make her feel better about Naru's safety and well being then politely excused himself to go get Naru.

It had been five long years. Two years longer than he'd intended and the last thing that Naru should be doing right now was hiding herself away. Her friends and family were eager to see her again. And see her they would. Even if he had to drag her through the village, kicking and screaming.

Or in her case, hissing and growling like an rabid animal.